Buona Epifania! Happy Epiphany! This magnificent depiction of the Nativity was commissioned by Palermo’s Oratorio of San Lorenzo in 1609. It illustrates the newborn baby Jesus with Saint Francis (top right) and Saint Lawrence (left) looking over the shoulder of the Virgin Mother. Painted by Caravaggio (Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571-1610)) in the chiaroscuro technique,…
Category: Art
A Face Without Eyes For The Solstice In Sicily
The winter solstice is upon us, yet I look forward to the summer solstice, when this sculpture of a Greek mask takes center stage at the sculpture garden and farm of Lorenzo Reina, the creator of Teatro Andromeda in Santo Stefano Quisquina. If you plan ahead and know an insider, you could be present here,…
The Fourth Season In Palermo
In Palermo’s “Theater of the Sun,” the intersection better known as Quattro Canti, four fountains featuring women illustrate the four seasons. Not only the annual seasons, but those of life too. Pictured here is Winter. She’s an older, wiser woman holding a flaming lantern. Showing us the way through the darkest time of the year….
Artemis In Sicily: Her Realm Is The Wilderness
A 400 BCE statuette of the goddess Artemis riding a deer, found in Siracusa (now on display at Museo Orsi). Such votives were used to venerate deities throughout the ancient Greek Mediterranean. Artemis is the mistress of animals and wild, untamed things. The wilderness is where you’ll feel her presence. She is the goddess of…
The Leopard, Sicily’s Epic Novel
Prince Don Fabrizio Salina faced a new world in 1860 during the “unification” of Italy. He is the protagonist of “Il Gattopardo (The Leopard),” the posthumously published 1958 novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa. Burt Lancaster (pictured) starred in the epic movie by Luchino Visconti in 1963. If you haven’t seen it (or read the…
The Ancient Wisdom Of Persephone In Sicily
In Enna, Sicily’s historic center is a copy of Bernini’s Abduction of Persephone in bronze (modeled after the statue in the Galleria Borghese in Rome). Its presence illustrates how pervasive this story from ancient Greek times is still today. In fact, the legend which discusses this event that sparks fall’s arrival, was set in Sicily…
Persephone Leads Us To Winter
The maiden Persephone holds a dove in this 575-550 BCE votive statuette found in a tomb in Siracusa, Sicily. As we move toward winter in the northern hemisphere, we prepare to send our innocent, pure protagonist of spring and summer to the Underworld or Hades, where she will take on her adult role as the…
Stunning Sicily October 2021, Day 4
Ciao from Stunning Sicily, Day 4! Siracusa has one of the largest and most extensive Christian catacombs outside of Rome, and we explored the dark, damp, and mysterious underground pathways of San Giovanni’s Catacombs and San Marciano’s Crypt with our local, expert guide Lucia. After a visit to the Orsi archeological museum to see the breathtaking statue of…
San Pio A Modern-day Saint
Small homegrown shrines are very common in Sicily. This one near my cousins’ home in Bagheria is dedicated to the recently canonized (2002) San Pio (1887-1968).
A Journey Of The Soul: Il Labirinto Di Arianna In Sicily
Ciao from Sicily! Yesterday we made a pilgrimage to the Labirinto di Arianna, or Ariadne’s Labyrinth, a sculpture high in the Nebrodi Mountains of Messina Province. The massive work is one of many large pieces that are part of Fondazione Fiumara d’Arte Sicilia, a collection of outdoor sculptures. The brainchild of empresario Antonio Presti, the…